Officials this afternoon also announced that Regions Bank will be the title sponsor, naming the stadium Regions Field.

The festivities began with a carnival featuring baseball players from Birmingham high schools and area colleges, a live jazz band and food stands.

This afternoon's activities at the western edge of Railroad Park are the symbolic beginning of the project to build a stadium and museum that will bring the Birmingham Barons back to the city. The team now plays at Hoover's Regions Park and is scheduled to play in a completed new stadium next year.

Bell said the crowd of hundreds that gathered was clear evidence that the park has strong community support, contrary to early naysayers.

"It says this project has had community support from day one," he said. "This is a great day for the city of Birmingham."

Logan made a similar comments, calling the new ballpark an asset for the entire metropolitan area. Noting the youth among the crowd, Logan pledged efforts to make the new ballpark a familiar place for them.

Today's event was ceremonial. Bell said an exact date to begin site work is still in the works but coming soon.

In the crowd was Giles Perkins, former president of the Railroad Park Foundation. Perkins said today's event is proof that the Railroad Park project, which included private, city and other funding, is a catalyst for development. The area was formerly a warehouse district.

"The park is the spark we hoped it would be," he said. "Development around the park has begun and will continue to change our city."

The stadium development will be funded largely by the increase in the city's lodging tax, which took effect in the last year. City leaders are banking that revenue from the planned Parkside district of shops, restaurants and night venues around the stadium will make the city's long-term financial commitment worthwhile.

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Groundbreaking Ceremony For Downtown Baseball StadiumBIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- A groundbreaking for a $64 million downtown baseball park that will be built on Birmingham's south side of town was held Thursday February 2, 2012. When the ballpark is completed the Birmingham Barons will play their home games in the stadium that will offer views of the downtown skyline and Red Mountain. (The Birmingham News/Joe Songer)